Are you considering cruising next year? But are you worried because you are prone to motion sickness on long drives, small boat trips or when you ride in the backseat of cars? Cruising can still be an awesome vacation for you!
Here are some tips to keep you feeling happy and healthy on the ship:
Be picky about your stateroom location. Get as close to mid-ship height wise (deck level) and in distance from bow to stern. Your travel agent will be to help you with this.
The motion from the pitch, roll and yaw of the ship while cruising will be minimized the closer you are to the middle of the ship (technically, you want to be close to the ship’s center of gravity). The ship’s built in stabilizers will help manage much of the translational and rotational movements as well.
If the horizon line and fresh air help you, get a balcony room so the horizon view is always available for you. Plus, it is a really nice treat to have morning coffee service on your balcony overlooking the ocean.
Go big or go home! Big ship cruising is more stable than smaller ship cruising. Talk to your travel agent about finding a sailing on a larger vessel. Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are both larger ships at 130,000T. Royal Caribbean also has some great mega ships that do wonders for ship stability such as the Oasis Class ships (Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas) at 220,000T and the Quantum Class ships (Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas) at 167,000T.
Test the water; there is no need to overcommit. Start with a 3 or 4 night cruise to test it out and after a successful voyage, then book your 7 night cruise!
Be kind to yourself. Get enough sleep and don’t skip meals. Being well rested and getting good nutrition can do wonders in helping the body manage itself. Also be cautious of overexposure to the sun or drinking too many alcoholic drinks if those things make you prone to motion sickness.
Bring some ginger (not Ginger herself) along for the cruise! Many cruisers and nausea prone individuals have had great successes with ginger chewables, lozenges, capsules and gum. When Mythbusters did a show on Motion Sickness, ginger and the placebo were the most effective solutions! If you watch the episode, fast forward to 23:20 to see the segment on motion sickness. WARNING: The chair they built to test out remedies can be tough to watch in action!
Try an over the counter remedy such as Sea-Bands (acupressure), Anti-Nausea patches (herbal) and/or Dramamine. For those of us who are nervous, pack all three as back up plans and see what works best for you.
Talk to your doctor. If you are still nervous, talk to your doctor about your worries. You may be a great candidate for a prescription Transderm Scop® patch or other treatment.
Bon Voyage!!